Description of free EAP
services
All contact with the
EAP is free of charge for University employees and family members.
Counseling services are provided for up to six sessions. If a
referral for additional services or treatment is necessary, EAP
counselors help the employee identify services that are convenient,
appropriate and affordable.
Community
providers utilized by the EAP are very carefully screened.
Below are a list of
the Free services that the EAP has to offer.
These services listed below serve as a guide. If your situation is
different from what is listed here, please feel free to give us a
call to see if we can assist you.
If we are unable to fit your needs, we may be able to point you in
another direction for assistance.
Short-term Counseling (Individual, Couple & Family)
-
The EAP offers up to six free counseling sessions per issue/per year to UMaine
employees and their immediate family members. With a written
release, the EAP counselors can arrange for referrals to carefully
screened community providers.
If the client wishes, the EAP can act as managed care instead of
utilizing Review Plus for insurance authorization.
Identification/Screening of
Community Providers
- When a referral is needed, links
are made with carefully screened community resources - therapists,
psychiatrists, lawyers, physicians, dentists, accountants, financial
consultants, etc. The list of community providers is continuously
updated and expanded. The EAP can also identify providers
within and outside the state of Maine.
Resources &
Referrals - A resource directory is kept with
information concerning "who to call for what" and where meetings are
being held locally for:
Support groups
such as
AA, AL-ANON, Separated/Divorced/Widowed, Eating Disorders, Sexual
Abuse, Women's Issues, etc.
Note: AA
meetings on campus are held every Tuesday at noon in the Drummond
Room, 2nd Floor, Memorial Union and are free to anyone who wishes to
attend.
Professional mental health organizations
for
Panic Disorder Education Program, National Anxiety Foundation,
Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Alzheimer's Association, National
Mental Health Organization, etc.
Crisis
Services
-
If you have a personal crisis after
normal work hours, call Northeast Crisis Service
at 1-888-568-1112. This toll free number will connect you with
a telephone crisis worker who will listen to your situation and work
with you to find solutions. If you would benefit from meeting face-to-face with crisis workers, they are available to come to you
where the crisis is occurring, with consideration given to the
safety of the consumer, family, crisis worker, and the community. NCS staff is available to help you resolve/stabilize your immediate
crisis in the least intrusive way possible to using interventions
tailored to your unique needs, strengths and situations.
Critical
Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) -
If you or your
department are experiencing or have experienced a crisis effecting
the operation of your duties, the EAP staff will come to you and
provide crisis debriefing which will help you deal with the facts,
thoughts and emotions as well as explore ways to coping with the
stress it has generated for you.
CISD is especially
useful among first responders to a traumatic event, such as Public
Safety, emergency medical, fire fighters and others who have either
been exposed to or responded to a traumatic event, such as:
-
Robbery
-
Fire
-
Assaults
-
Threats
-
Suicide
-
Natural disasters
The EAP can also do
a debriefing for non-traumatic yet very upsetting events, such as:
(To arrange a debriefing, call the
Employee Assistance Program at 581-4014 0r 1-877-EAP-3315)
Management
Consultations - The EAP is designed to help University
employees who have persistent personal problems that interfere with
their job performance. Supervisors can refer employees who have
deteriorating work performance to the EAP for help. Referral is a
way to show concern for the employee as well as for productivity.
On the phone or in person, the EAP
provides individual consultations for supervisors when they have
questions about handling a difficult situation or when referring a
specific employee to EAP.
-
You
are not sure how to encourage an employee to use EAP.
-
You
feel burned out- the employee has exhausted you emotionally and
you don't feel rational any more: you want some fresh approaches.
-
You've gotten too involved with the employee's problem and need
help extricating yourself.
-
Your
employee tells you he/she has a personal problem and wants you to
help -- and you're not sure what you can do or what you should do.
-
You're planning to meet with your employee and talk about work
performance problems, but feel uneasy about how to proceed.
Departmental
Programs - EAP
offers the following
free
Departmental Workshops.
Call to schedule one for your department
(581-4014).
Understanding Work Styles
- This interactive program helps identify thinking style preferences
and points the way toward working together more effectively and
productively.
Managing Change -
This program helps you understand your own
reactions to the constant variety of major and minor changes so
that you can move more quickly, completely and effectively through
the change process.
Campus Civility -
This workshop focuses on understanding and preventing bias,
prejudice and harassment.
Conflict Resolution -
This program focuses on strategies and tools to
de-escalate conflict
What Me Worry? -
Learn the difference between normal and excessive worrying and
learn tips for controlling it.
Dealing with Loss and Tragedy -
Review of the loss process and of complicating factors.
How to Deal with On-Going Stress -
Strategies to move from short-term stress
management to the balancing act needed to cope with long-term
stress.
Gender Communication in the
Workplace -
Look at conversational styles of women and men and how women’s
style puts them at a disadvantage in an academic setting,
specifically a scientific one. Look at how to make changes.
Dealing with Difficult People -
Strategies to deal with difficult people and difficult situations
in general and then focus on interactions with angry people as
well as with complainers.
Mediation/Conflict Resolution
- In most situations, workers can
resolve disputes between them without any outside intervention as
long as they have the opportunity and desire to do so. The EAP can
help coach you towards successful conflict resolution. However, there are situations in
which a mediator may be desirable or even necessary for a
satisfactory outcome to the conflict. The EAP staff has the
expertise to act as a neutral third party to mediate the conflict
between employees or employees and supervisors.
Emergency Loan Fund
(ELF)
Lending Library -
The EAP library has over three
hundred books available to employees. It is not necessary to make a
counseling appointment to borrow a book or video, but we do ask you
to schedule an appointment to browse through the library in order to
protect the confidentiality of EAP clients in the waiting room. We
also maintain a filing system of articles, pamphlets, brochures,
etc. on such topics as:
-
Alzheimer's
-
Communication
-
Divorce
-
Parenting
-
Stress
Health
Food/Eating Disorders
Abuse
Women's Issues
Men's Issues
Depression
Alcoholism/Drugs
Anxiety
Management
Grief/Loss
